An honest Q&A on health & wellness. What does it take to be healthy? Is it expensive? Is it going to take up all my time?
The top 3 questions or *cough* excuses I hear from my patients.
1. Is it expensive eating healthily or just living a healthy lifestyle in general?
Honestly?! No, it isn’t. I spend around $400 a month on groceries for 2 adults. I exercise at home by running, biking, or doing yoga. I lift logs meant for my wood burner if I feel like lifting weights. (How much does a tree branch cost?) I’ve just started getting into gardening so I’ll spend even less than $400/month in the future years. Is that expensive? Do you need lots of gadgets and tools to be healthy? Is it absolutely required to have a Fitbit, smartwatch, fancy shakes, a gym membership, yoga classes, CSA’s, blenders, food processors or any other “thing” that could make you healthier? There is nothing wrong with any of those “things”. Nor is there anything wrong with spending money on your health or items that will make a healthy lifestyle easier. However, don’t you dare use them as an excuse to not even start or to quit. Do you want to live sick and die young? Or do you want to live a long, vibrant life?
The decision to eat healthily or live healthily is as simple as you saying yes. You either decide to make your health a priority or not. It does not have to be hard, complex or expensive. You don’t have to know it all. If this is the beginning of your health journey, you are not expected to know the perfect way to eat, to exercise, or what to spend your money on. That is our jobs as your doctors. Our job is to educate you on the true meaning of health and how to get there. Your job is to sit behind the wheel and keep driving towards your healthy future regardless of all the convenient exits to quit.
(Oh look, there’s the world’s best cinnamon bun!)
(*$%!, A tree fell on my house!)
(My car won’t start.)
(My kids have soccer, football, and scouts this time of year.)
(It’s Thanksgiving..its Christmas..it's my birthday month.)
2. I don’t have time, Doc.
Gotcha. You don’t have the time to keep making changes in your life, so it is easier to go back to your old routine where you don’t have to think. You've turned on autopilot and you have no idea where you are going.
If you don’t have time, then you don’t have personal goals set. You are living for someone else. It could be your kids, partner, or work. That is where your priorities lie. That where you spend all your time. Who will you be when you can’t keep living for others…because your body won’t let you. Maybe you’re sick or injured, or just so darn tired you want to nap all day. You’ve hit the wall and you realize that you need to start looking after yourself for once. After all, you can’t take your kids to practice if you’re stuck in bed all day. You also can’t keep up with your work if you can’t make it into work. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
You have to have goals for your life. You need something to strive for and to give you direction.
Some of my personal goals are:
To live a life where I never need long-term medication.
To live a life where I am able to function independently until the day I die.
To slow down and find the joy in every moment of my life.
When you are very clear on what you want from life, time suddenly becomes available.
3. My kids, husband, wife, parents or friends aren't on board.
Do you need their permission? You do you and just don’t care what other people think/do/say. Do you want to raise healthy kids…yes! Would it be easier if your husband, wife, parents or friends were on the same page…yes! But we are talking about you here. You, not them. Do YOU want to be healthy? It is up to YOU to make YOU healthy.
Being healthy is largely made up of a lot of little decisions. You could decide to eat more vegetables with dinner today. Or add 10 minutes to your exercise tomorrow. Or sit out in the sun the next day to soak up the Vitamin D. Being healthy isn’t necessarily an all or nothing thing. Being healthy isn’t just deciding that you’re never going to eat sugar again, or you’re going to exercise every day or that you’re done with booze! What are the chances that you could stick with it FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? Being healthy is a mindset that turns into a lifestyle. Fall in love with taking care your body. Cause let’s be honest, life is so much more fun when you aren’t wallowing in the guilt of eating that last cookie.
<-- It is up to you.